Former Kingwood Park High School teacher accused of sex with student

Published 9:53 am, Friday, January 24, 2014

A former Kingwood Park High School economics teacher and football/soccer coach has officially been charged with an improper relationship with a student Jan. 23.

A former Kingwood Park High School economics teacher and football/soccer coach has officially been charged with an improper relationship with a student Jan. 23.

Photo: ANDREW BUCKLEY

Former Kingwood Park High School teacher accused of sex with student

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A former Kingwood Park High School economics teacher and football/soccer coach has officially been charged with an improper relationship with a student Jan. 23.

Zachary Burton Harlan, 35, was first placed on administrative leave Nov. 8, 2013 amid improper relationship allegations that were brought to the district’s attention and later resigned Nov. 11. Harlan has been an employee with the district since 2004, according to Jamie Mount, public information officer for Humble Independent School District, said.

According to court documents, “Kingwood Park High School Principal Lisa Drabing was first notified of the relationship by an anonymous call. Drabing called the student to her office where the student stated that she and [Harlan] were having sexual relationship. [Harlan] then met with Drabing and gave her a written statement regarding the relationship.”

The written statement provided by Harlan to Drabing stated, “Our conversations and emails began to become flirtatious and then inappropriate. I allowed her to become attached to me on a person level and I allowed myself to do the same. Our roles began to change as I began to take on a caregiver role and she began to rely on me.”

Harlan also admitted that, “At time, my relationship with the student got carried away and I allowed it to go too far.

The Humble ISD Police interviewed Harlan where he stated that from September 2013 to November 2013 that the two exchanged numerous emails from their personal email accounts and that the emails show that a sexual relationship was taking place.

Once the Humble ISD Police gathered all of the information needed, the bail in the case was set at $10,000 and Harlan was arrested Jan. 23.

He has since bonded out of jail and set to appear in court again Feb. 14.

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There were also two orders for Harlan that include no contact with the victim and that he may not enter any school.

“Humble ISD has zero-tolerance for inappropriate relationships between teachers and students,” said Mount in a written statement in November 2013 to the Observer. “The district cooperates with law enforcement for the safety and welfare of our students.”